Release and Reception
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The resulting album, Facelift, was released on August 21, 1990, peaking at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart. Facelift included the singles "We Die Young", "Man in the Box", and "Sea of Sorrow", all of which had accompanying music videos. The album was a critical success, with "Hollywood" Steve Huey of Allmusic citing Facelift as "one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock among hard rock and heavy metal listeners." It was also the first grunge album to reach the top 50 in America on the Billboard 200, the first to go platinum, and second to Soundgarden's Louder Than Love to reach number one on Heatseekers, thanks mainly to the hit songs "We Die Young" and "Man in the Box".
Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation. The single hit number 18 on the Mainstream Rock charts, with the album's follow up single, "Sea of Sorrow", reaching number 27, and in six weeks Facelift sold 400,000 copies in the US. Facelift was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America by the end of 1990. Alice in Chains was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award in 1992 for "Man in the Box", but lost to Van Halen for their 1991 album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The music video for "Man in the Box" was nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. Currently Facelift is being voted #1 by Guitarworlds best albums of 1990.
Read more about this topic: Facelift (album)
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